Students walk to the school bus stopping at South 16th and L Street Tuesday morning January 26, 2010. Area students were treated to a two hours weather delay due to slick conditions Tuesday morning.

Emboldened, perhaps, by a new governor whose vague directives about education boil down to more choice and more freedom for classroom teachers, proponents of Indiana's fresh school voucher program are charging ahead for more.

On Wednesday, the House Education Committee took up House Bill 1003, which would expand a voucher system that's in its second year.

The changes proposed would cut a larger swath of Hoosier families who would have the option to use state money to enroll their children in private schools.

Among HB 1003's provisions: Students would no longer have to attend a public school for at least two semesters before their families could use vouchers. The upshot of that would mean any student already in a private school could start getting voucher support as soon as next year, provided their families met income guidelines.

The bill also would raise the cap on vouchers from $4,500 to $5,500 in 2013-14 and $6,500 in 2014-15, drop the income guidelines for military families, and open the door for children with disabilities and children in foster care.

At least two reasons remain for the General Assembly to back away for now.

? First, the legislature really should wait for the Indiana Supreme Court to rule on a challenge to the voucher law. The contention is that vouchers cross First Amendment lines with a system that practically guarantees public money is funneled into religious-based schools. Movement on any expansion of the voucher system ahead of that ruling makes little sense.

? Second, we've supported the move to limited vouchers. But shouldn't the state give the experiment time to see whether it's working before ramping toward more public money into private schools? This urgency isn't backed by evidence, other than the foot in the door.

Slow down.

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Editorial: Racing ahead on school vouchers

Emboldened, perhaps, by a new governor whose vague directives about education boil down to more choice and more freedom for classroom teachers, proponents of Indiana's fresh school voucher program